Val al Fine

Location

Corsica

Size

2.210 m²

Typology

Naturalistic garden

Year

2023-2025

Client

Private

Botanical excerpt

cistus albidus, cistus creticus, prunus dulcis, helichrysum italicum, ficus carica, myrtus communis, pistacia lentiscus, origanum vulgare

Our first project on the island: a house suspended between two horizons, with endless views of the sea on one side and the mountains on the other.

Olivier and Céline gave us complete freedom to imagine the garden of their summer home. We started from a space that had already been designed years ago by another landscape architect: a very open garden, with a large central lawn accompanied by old shrubs pruned into topiary shapes.

The first decision was to determine what to keep, what to relocate, and what to remove. We kept part of the lawn for the children, but took away its dominance: the large central “canvas” is now broken up into patches and green pathways connected by planting beds, so the play space remains without overpowering the overall composition.

We preserved all the most valuable and characterful specimen trees — olives, pepper trees, holm oaks, and oleanders —, relocated some shrubs to integrate them into new planting masses, and removed the more rigid interventions that did not dialogue with the surroundings. Using these trees as the backbone of the project, we designed softly shaped, organic planting beds to harmonize the whole.

The garden is conceived as a transition toward the wider landscape — an interface between the domesticated nature of the home and the maquis descending toward the sea. We organized the design according to proximity to the view: the closer to the open landscape, the more spontaneous and wild the garden becomes. Near the house and the main living areas, we opted for more complex and colorful compositions. These naturalistic beds hold a carefully curated selection of Mediterranean and climate-adapted plants suited to hot, dry, coastal conditions.

Seasonality was a key criterion: the garden is enjoyed above all in the height of summer. We therefore designed a palette of staggered blooms that ensure lushness and fragrance during the months of greatest use, with summer-flowering and late-season species. Aromatic plants were placed near the outdoor shower and seating areas to heighten the sensory experience.

Fig. 5

Fig. 6

Privacy was also addressed: the neighboring houses are hidden by evergreen hedges and informal screens that provide continuity. In this way, the main sightlines remain open and clear, while privacy is maintained across most of the property.

We activated new outdoor spaces: a wooden deck functions as a yoga platform or small outdoor lounge; extending from it, we built a pétanque court, and further down, an outdoor shower made of pietra Balanina —the local granite characteristic of traditional constructions in the area— integrates seamlessly with the vegetation. Exterior lighting was designed to enjoy the garden at night without disturbing wildlife, minimizing light pollution. Since planting, many animals have made the garden their home, including some species prioritized for conservation, such as red kites, swallows, and salamanders.

Fig. 9 The platform incorporates mulberry trees, creating a cool and enjoyable space in summer.

Dialogue with the architecture was essential: the single-story typology allowed us to strengthen the interplay between indoors and outdoors.

The windows are conceived as a series of frames that capture scenes of the garden, and the horizontal circulation connects the interiors visually and physically with the terraces, the different outdoor rooms, and, in the distance, the sea.